


Just promise me we'll be alright

by Elfo98, mxhorned_rose



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Cheesy, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-10 06:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5574610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elfo98/pseuds/Elfo98, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mxhorned_rose/pseuds/mxhorned_rose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cliché high school AU where Newt realizes he can't hide his crush on his best friend anymore and tells him.<br/>Will Thomas feel the same way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just promise me we'll be alright

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ:  
> I wrote this fic alongside with MaryArmstrong2002, I did Newt's lines and she did Thomas'.  
> It was originally written in italian and I translated it, so please, if you find some grammar or spelling mistakes or whatever, tell me. I had to change a lot of things because italian has so many expressions that english doesn't have, and I am not even sure that what I did is right.  
> I accept any kind of advice.

-First day of senior year. It means we’re gonna have to study twice as much and the teachers are gonna keep bothering us like a bloody swarm of flies. And it also means that you’re gonna have to apply in math, otherwise we can forget to go to college together.-

The boy spoke to his best friend who sat beside him on the passenger seat, while driving to the school where they’re gonna attend the last year of hell: Glade High. –Well, Tommy. Are you ready?-

- _Geez_ , Newt. Thanks for stressing me out more than I already am.- Burst out the guy with dark hair, glancing at him with the corner of the eye. His arms were crossed on his chest, his backpack laying on his knees, and he snorted every once in a while. –Of course I’m ready. I mean, how bad can senior year be?-

The blond glanced at him too before returning his gaze to the street, struggling to hide an amused grin: -Good that.- He nodded, even if he knew his friend enough to know that he _was_ a bit nervous, just like him, but they were both too proud to let it show.

-What about you? And don’t laugh. I saw you!- He pointed at him.

-You’re talking to a straight A student, of course I’m ready.-

-Don’t be so narcissist now, Newt. I’m sure you’ll have to tutor me, as usual.-

Not that he really minded. In the end, Newt and Thomas always managed to have fun when they were together, even when they were studying.

-I’m not being narcissist, I’m just pointing it out once again, since you seem to forget it a little too often.- He glanced at him again, this time with an hint of a smirk. Math was the only subject where Newt was able to beat him, they had pretty much the same notes in the others, so he loved to bring it up. After all, he liked the offended expression Thomas made at each provocation. He thought it was sweet, but he would have never ever said it out loud.

-I could be a shucking dud in math, but I’m not stupid.- said boy snorted for the umpteenth time since he’d set foot into the car; but now there was an hint of a smile on his face. –And you tend to forget we have the same notes, except for one subject. I bet I can beat you this year.-

Now Newt was the one who snorted, stubbornly locking his gaze on the street not to meet Thomas’. He wasn’t really fond of challenges, mostly because his friend was as stubborn as a mule, and most of the times he got what he wanted.

Those bloody doe eyes… they were his flaw, and Thomas knew it.

-No way I’m gonna let you win this time, Tommy. You’re not going to beat me in math, not even in a million years.

You have my word.

Never.-

Sure he wanted him to get the highest notes there too, but becoming better than him?

He couldn’t bear it.

-We’ll see. Never get off guard with me.-

-Good that.-

Newt nodded and accepted the challenge. And in the meantime he promised himself not to let him heave what he wanted.

After a few minutes, he finally parked in an empty spot just in front of the building, which seemed to him a lot scarier than the usual.

He looked at Thomas for support: just an exchange of gazes had the power to calm him down completely.

-Here we go.-

-Damn it…-  Thomas mumbled when the car stopped. –Someone should raze this school to the ground.-

-You said it!-

Newt took a deep breath and then turned to his friend to put an hand on his shoulder. A soft and reassuring smile made his way on his lips then.

-We have to endure another year, then we can leave this bloody place for good. And who knows, maybe that girl, Brenda, will give you a second look.-

He winked, even though saying those words had cost him a lot.  He’d been feeling weird for a while now when he was with Thomas, but he had no intention to let it show or he would have ruined the friendship he cared the most.

Thomas’ gaze drifted to the school’s outline, then to Newt, and then to his hand on his shoulder.

Said boy didn’t manage to read his expression, but he didn’t move it.

-Can’t wait. But can you imagine? You, me and a whole college at our feet. Would be awesome.- The brunet commented, nodding slightly to confirm his words, but then his smile faded. –Oh… Brenda, yeah.-

The blond couldn’t stop a chuckle at his statement, mostly to hide his embarrassment. He couldn’t tell him that he was not interested in popularity and girls anymore, not now that Thomas had grown to know him that way. –Very funny, Tommy. But we both know how it will end: you, with your doe eyes, the sculpted muscles of a greek god and your bloody smile, will take the whole scene and _I’ll_ have to stay in the background.- He rolled his eyes taking the hand off his shoulder, opening the car door to get off. –And if you tell me that you’re not interested in Brenda anymore, I’ll throw you my shucking backpack. I’ve been listening to your complaining for three years because she didn’t even notice you.-

-You serious, Newt? First of all: muscles? Where?

Second: why would I be the one who takes the whole scene? I mean, look at you. Gold hair, deep dark eyes… you think girls don’t notice you?-

-That’s exactly what happens, Tommy. Although I got to admit that the british accent has done his job once or twice.- he interrupted him. The memory gave him the creeps. It happened at some party ended bad, which he regretted with all himself.

-Third,- Thomas ignored him completely and hopped off the car with a nervous chuckle. –Get ready, Newt. I’m not interested in her.-

-Oh yeah?-  he slapped him slightly on the back of his head, pretending to be annoyed. –You’ll have to find a way to make it up, Tommy.-

The latter shrugged and laughed for the first time that morning.

Shuck it. That sound always made him feel all fuzzy inside, and he would find himself staring at Thomas with an idiotic smile…

When he wasn’t looking, of course.

His friend extended his arms without leaving the small grin that was now on his lips: -And what should I do to do so, Mr. Newton?-

-Mmm, I have to think about it. I’ll let you know.-

A lot of things came to his mind, but they were all unacceptable. Thomas raised his eyebrows, still laughing: -Good that.-

-We should go or we’re gonna be late.-

-Yeah…-

The blond smiled and turned his back to him not to look at him anymore, he felt like his legs would collapse if he glanced again at his bloody grin. He reached the front door without making sure that his friend was behind him, he knew that he would have followed him.

School was, as was to be expected, chaotic. There were more freshmen than normal, the “greenies” as they called them, with the usual disoriented look on their faces. Newt didn’t envy them at all. They were wandering through the halls with frightened expressions; the older ones looked at them with superiority instead. The two boys knew that this year, just like the others, the same thing would have happened: the newbies would have been the victims of everyone’s jokes, except for Thomas and Newt who preferred to stay in the backgrounds.

-Welcome to the Glade…- he heard his friend mumbling behind him, and couldn’t agree more.

-I bet Gally’s already started harassing the greenies. Look at her- he pointed at a girl with dark hair next to them, her face completely pale. –She looks like she’s just seen a bloody ghost.-

-Ah, Gally. I missed that shuck face, you know?- Thomas commented with a laugh. The two of them weren’t exactly in good terms, but at least they didn’t threatened each other of death like they used to the first year. –Or she’s seen Minho’s face in the morning.-

The Brit snorted a laugh at the statement: Minho would hang out with them every once in a while. They didn’t know each other as well as Thomas and Newt did, but he was a friend. –Yeah right, but don’t say it when he’s around. You know that shank loves himself more than I love tea.-

-And we have to stand him every shucking day.- his theatrical sigh managed to get an amused smile out of him.

-What do you have now?- he asked Thomas once he’d reached his locker, which was fortunately near the boy’s one.

-Um… wait.- the brunet checked his schedule. –Chem.-

Newt closed his locker and turned again towards Thomas with a smirk: -We have class together then.-

The boy chuckled in response as he closed his: -The best way to begin the year, uh?-

But when he turned to him his eyebrows shot up seeing the weird expression on the blond’s face, who approached him and pinned his hip with an elbow.  He loved to spend school’s hours with Thomas, they had a lot of fun together, especially during Mr. Janson’s class, or Rat Man as they called him. Newt was sure that, if they weren’t so good at his subject, he would have found a way to kick them out of his class.

-Feel sorry about spending an hour in agony with your best friend, Tommy? I’m offended.- he faked a pout, knowing how to provoke his friend, who in fact immediately defended himself: -Come on, Newt! You’re worst than Harriet during her period. I couldn’t ask for anything better to begin the year.- Exclaimed, putting an arm around the Brit’s neck and laughing quietly.

-No, worst than Harriet there’s only my sister. I mean, you saw Sonya. You can’t even talk to her during that period, worst than the usual.-

Newt mumbled something about his misfortune to have such a pain in the neck as a half sister, but he couldn’t keep thinking about that because he felt the familiar electricity jolting all over his body for that contact.

His mind got blank for a few seconds.

It had been a while, a year precisely, that at every touch he’d been feeling himself on fire, and he and Thomas touched each other very often.

Fortunately, Newt had learned not to blush and pulling himself together before the boy could notice, so he slid an arm around his waist and started to walk again.

-Of course I saw her. I get why she’s best friend with Harriet, they’re identical.-

Since he was always at Newt’s he knew Sonya and her not-so-friendly manners. He got used to them at some point.

The Brit shrugged with a neutral look, but when he glanced at Thomas he saw a weird grin on his face. His legs almost collapsed: he was terribly handsome when he was smiling.

-Oi, Tommy. Whatcha thinking?-  he hoped his voice didn’t sound louder than he wanted it to, and he didn’t have the time to finish the sentence that he felt the boy’s grip tightening.

Shuck, shuck, shuck. They were too close now.

-Uh? Oh, nothing…- Thomas probably didn’t realize it, or if he did e didn’t care. Newt took advantage of the fact that he was stubbornly looking ahead to watch him: his gaze mostly lingered on his smile and on his doe eyes, and he was so absorbed in his thoughts that everything around them vanished. He would have bumped into a greenie if he wasn’t so close to Thomas, and he almost lost his balance when he realized it, for the move of air beside him.

-Bloody hell…- he swore gritting his teeth, when his injured leg collapsed, and he had to hold on to his friend not to fall.

-What the…?- he heard him saying and saw him glaring at the greenie, who apparently didn’t notice. –You okay?-

He helped him getting his balance back, and just then Newt realized how close they were again. He couldn’t stop himself from blushing, and had to take a step back not to let it show.

-Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry.- he let out a nervous chuckle hoping it didn’t make him suspicious. –I almost brought you down with me.-

He didn’t notice the brunet’s red cheeks and his fake cough to hid his embarrassment.

-Well, you know how it works. If you fall, I fall with you.-

-Aw, Tommy. These attacks of sweetness warm up my heart.-

Commented sarcastically, to break the tension that had visibly formed between them. He was like this, sarcasm had been a good, as well as the only defense he’d had for years before meeting Thomas.

Who replied, winking: -Eh, you know, sometime I try to be sweet too.-

-It’s always nice to see your efforts.-

School’s halls were now becoming empty; the others, from freshmen to seniors, were reaching their classes leaving the two of them alone.

Normally, Newt would have ditched to spend some time with Thomas, but since it was the first day he swallowed the thought and grabbed his arm, almost making him stumble in his own feet.

They reached their class just in time to hear the bell ring its beginning, and the blond pulled his friend to the spots in the back.

They sat next to each other, and Newt put his elbows on the desk holding his head with the hands, eyes on the blackboard. He knew he wouldn’t have been able to pay attention, only the boy’s presence beside him was enough to distract him.

With the corner of the eye, he watched Thomas, whose head was now laying on his arm. He fought with the instinct of reaching out an hand and ruffle his hair.

He forced himself to look away and  began wondering about what they could do after school, but soon he got bored of making plans for the afternoon too: it didn’t make sense if he couldn’t discuss them with the boy.

So, in all innocence, he slid his left elbow until his arm was fully on the desk and –still casually- placed his head on it, so that they were again a little too closer. He hoped that the brunet didn’t notice the hint of a satisfied grin on his face.

-Newt…?-  

He almost jolted hearing Thomas’ voice, thinking he’d been caught in the act. He raised an eyebrow turning his head to look at him: -Yes, Tommy?-

For a second he feared that all that proximity bothered him.

The other lifted his face from the desk.

-Do we really have to go to the other classes after this?- asked quietly not to be lectured.

Newt could feel his breath on his face, and without noticing he found himself staring at those doe eyes that made him go crazy.

Somehow, he knew he couldn’t hide his crush for long.

But how was he supposed to tell him without ruining their friendship?

He bit his lip.

-No, we can’t. It’s out first day. But you can come over to my place this afternoon so we can make up for lost time.-

He said the last sentence so quickly that he almost didn’t understand it himself. Why was he so nervous about inviting his best friend over? It was an everyday occurrence, but it felt like this time was different.

Thomas snorted  rolling his eyes and… was he blushing? Nah, he’s not. Although he seemed a little shocked, and Newt panicked thinking he’d understood that there was a second end in that suggestion. “Great, Newt. You’re a bloody genius.” He thought, cursing himself.

-I mean, if you don’t have any other plan. It was just an idea…- he quickly fixed it, trying to hide the hint of disappointment in his voice, whilst lowering his head. His cheeks were burning. It didn’t exactly help the fact that Thomas had placed an hand on his arm with the intention of reassuring him. Weird to say, since it was always the opposite. Sometimes Newt hated the warm feeling in his chest every time the brunet touched him, because it remembered him that there couldn’t be anything more than friendship between them.

-Hey, Newt, no… it’s okay, I don’t have plans. And…- he left the sentence unfinished, like he was deciding to continue or not. But eventually, with a sigh, he said: -And I have something to tell you.-

The blond looked at him with both confusion and fear.

“Shuck” was his first thought.

What did he have to say to him?

The moments of seriousness between the two of them were rare, and most of the times bad.

-Okay. Okay, good. I got something to say to you too anyway.- He really didn’t have to say that.

-Oh, okay…-

Good. Really shucking good. The day had started in the best of the ways. After a year trying to hide his feelings and a summer spent torturing himself, a pair of stares had managed to ruin all his efforts.

He’d reached the point of no return and wasn’t ready at all: anxiety had already started devouring him, and there were a few more hours left before the moment came.

-You have to promise me something then.- he whispered again, without even knowing what he would have said next.

-What?- Thomas frowned in confusion.

Newt locked his gaze in his, to let him know that he was serious.

That “but” or “maybe” or “depends” weren’t allowed.

That it was “yes” or “no”.

Take or leave, because after that he could have lost the only thing that mattered to him, or become the happier shank in the world.

-No matter what I’ll tell you, just promise…- he took a deep breath, his voice shaky. –Just promise me we’ll be alright.-

-I promise- his friend whispered without hesitation. –And Newt? I hope it’s mutual.-

-Good that.- he let out a sigh of relief he didn’t know he was holding, and without even thinking nodded with determination. –I promise.-

Just then, the bell rang the end of the hour. The other students got up from their desks and rushed out of the class, happily ignoring the teacher shouting the homeworks.

Newt was stunned by how time had flown by since they’d started talking, but they didn’t have class together anymore that day.

-Um…I have english now. See you at lunch?- Newt asked, picking up his backpack.

-I have math, how wonderful… but yeah, of course.- Thomas answered, getting up. –I better go or Mrs Collins will send me straight to the viceprincipal office. See ya!- He waved at him and rushed outside the room, leaving Newt alone absorbed in his own thoughts.

 

 

Saying that the day had been the most boring and frustrating of all wasn’t enough. He hadn’t paid attention at a single lesson because his mind had wandered to Thomas and to the afternoon they were gonna spend together. And now that he was waiting his friend in front of his car, anxiety finally reached his top.

He had to hide his hands in the pockets of his jeans not to show that they were shaking.

The boy quickly approached him after a few minutes, his breath heavy. –Okay, let’s go.-

Newts heart made double jump. For an instant he feared that Thomas could hear it bumping and couldn’t find the strength to talk. –Sure.- Was all that came out of his mouth.

After that, without a second glance or a smile, hopped in the car and waited for his friend to do the same, before turning it on. The drive back was silent, too silent. But even if Newt had a lot to say, he hold his tongue, sure that if he’d tried to talk he would have said things that didn’t make any sense.  

So he just stole glances at Thomas every now and then and, when he finally parked the car in front of his house, his heart was bumping so hard that it could have jumped out of his chest.

He got out of the car and opened the door to the boy, telling him with a gesture of his head to get in and go up to his bedroom.  
Thank goodness his parents and Sonya weren’t at home. It would have been embarrassing. Not that he had high hopes about what was going to happen, but never say never.

He closed the door slowly and took a deep breath, counting to five before following the other upstairs. Once there, he closed that door too, as a precaution, and turned to face his friend.  
His crush.

The one who’d always been by his side even in the darkest times, who he’d shared everything with and had known since he’d moved from England.

The person he loved. 

He forced a weak smile.

-Well, how was your day?-

Good job, you bloody idiot.

-It sucked… y-yours?- The boy was as pale as a dead man, which made the blond frown. Was he stuttering? Tommy only stuttered when nervous. Which meant that he was feeling uncomfortable. Damn it, he had to end that as quickly as possible...

-Same.- Newt wanted to lean in and place an hand on his cheek and caress it, ruffle his hair and get a smile off him.

But he couldn’t, not yet.  
Carefully, he approached him and, right at that moment, when their eyes met for the umpteenth time that day, he knew what he had to say.

He just had to speak: -Tommy, um.. bloody hell. I don’t know where to start.-

Thomas put his elbows on his knees, holding his head with the hands. He lifted the gaze to meet his, biting his lips till they hurt.

-We’re in this together… please, let’s end this. I’ve had enough.-

-Okay, okay…- Newt sat in front of him, but despite his words he stayed silent for a bit more, mostly to gain courage. –Okay.-

He said again. He was babbling, his mind working like a wild and he still hadn’t brought himself to start explaining.

With a huge effort, he lifted his head towards him: -Remember the day of the accident, a year ago?

We were alone at the park and you’d challenged me. We had to climb a tree and see who’s the one who managed to get on the top, nothing particularly difficult. But then one of the branches creaked and I fell on the ground, breaking my leg. You called the ambulance and kept apologizing and crying and telling me to stay awake.

You refused to leave me until they had to get you away from me….- a small grin was now drawn on his lips while he was talking. He noticed the other’s frown, signaling that the memory was still as vivid as it was for him. He knew that Thomas never forgave himself for hurting his best friend, but Newt never thought it was his fault.  
-Yeah…- the boy gulped, forcing a smile. –Yeah, I remember.-

He didn’t know what gave him strength, but seeing the guilt appearing in Thomas’ eyes, reached an hand out and hold his, to stop him from torture them.

Seriousness still hadn’t left his face, alongside with the fear of a rejection, but he was ready to accept it. –That was… um… probably…- he bit his bottom lip, searching for the right words. –I think that was what opened my eyes and made me realize that you weren’t just a friend to me. Seeing you like that, torturing and blaming yourself… made me understand how much I care for you. And I started to have feelings for you, Tommy.

I know you don’t feel the same way, but I couldn’t keep it for myself anymore… so, if you turn your back to me now, I’ll understand.-  
He lowered his gaze, letting go of his hands too. He felt Thomas’ eyes on himself, but he didn’t have the courage to see his expression.

-Newt…- just one word, said like a whisper. His name. It was a matter of seconds, but during that little break millions of doubts started to pour into his mind.

“Here we go,” he thought. “I ruined everything. I’m about to lose my best friend, he’ll never have the courage to look at me anymore”

-I promised not to do that and I won’t.-

The blond lifted his head, eyes wide. He couldn’t believe his own ears, he must’ve heard it wrong.

-What? Y-You don’t hate me? You don’t despise me?- he asked vividly shocked. But on Thomas face there was only sweetness.

-Why should I? Newt, I’ve known you for more than four years, by now. Even if I didn’t feel the same, I would never exclude you from my life!- he exclaimed with an hint of a smile. –Ever since we’ve met, I’ve always known that you couldn’t be just a friend to me. It’s hard to explain, but you’ve been the only one in my whole life who never abandoned or betrayed me. While the others left, wore masks with me, you were always here even in the hard times. And believe me, this matters to me more than anything else. I could always count on you and… why is it so hard to say?- He stopped for a while, taking a breath as if he was trying to hold onto the last piece of courage he had.

-Newt, I like you, okay? I really, really like you. I think it’s always been like this, because this kind of feeling just don’t start from nothing.-

Newt was fawning over his every word. He’d feared the worst: Thomas getting up and turning his back to him, leaving the room. Thomas never looking at him anymore. Thomas laughing at him.

Not this.

Where was the guy who flirted with girls and ran after the most popular ones like Teresa and Brenda?

Even though everything made sense now: the glances Newt had caught him stealing him, the unnatural need of physic contact, those tight hugs he used to give him…

How could he be so oblivious?

-Tommy…-

His name came out of his mouth as a whisper too. He couldn’t believe it was actually happening.

His heart was about to explode.

Without breaking the eye contact, he placed the palm of his hands on his cheeks and leaned in, until their lips brushed together. He felt him stiffen. For a second he thought he’d been too reckless, that Thomas wasn’t ready for this kind of reaction. Newt kept pressing his lips on his with uncertainty until the boy started to kiss him back, and then… only then, he managed to relax.

And hell, kissing Thomas, _his Tommy_ , was better than he’d ever imagined.

Better than any other kiss with a girl.

He literally felt like he was in heaven.

Their lips fitted together like they were made for this. Like the two of them were made for each other but were too blind to see that.

And Newt didn’t want to  part.  
He did just because he needed air, and opened his eyes to watch the handsome boy in front of him, without worrying for the first time not to stare too much. –I like you too, Tommy.- He murmured, and a bright smile made his way on his face.

Thomas’ doe eyes lit up while he leaned in once more, kissing him again and again and again, their bodies closer than they’d ever been.

And Newt could keep on doing this endlessly and never get tired.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it. It's a bit cheesy, I know.  
> Let me know what you think about it!


End file.
